Upcoming music events around Boston

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Variety at Tanglewood

TANGLEWOOD Thursday, the genre-hopping Ebene Quartet returns to Ozawa Hall. Friday, in the Shed, Bramwell Toveyleads the BSO in works by Beethoven, Copland, and Barber; and Sunday, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos leads a performance by the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. On Saturday night, the Boston Pops offers an 80th birthday tribute toJohn Williams, with Jessye Norman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gil Shaham among the special guests.Lenox, 617-266-1200, www.tanglewood.org

Pop & Rock

K.D. LANG
On a victory lap for last year’s “Sing It Loud,” lang is on the road again with the Siss Boom Bang, her new band that adds murky textures to lang’s supple sound. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of “Ingénue,” her landmark album that triggered a sea change in her aesthetic and produced the hit “Constant Craving.” Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $50, $41 in advance. Boarding House Park, 40 French St., Lowell. 978-970-5200, www.lowellsummermusic.org

DEF LEPPARD & POISON & LITA FORD
Start placing bets now: Whose guitars will be cranked loudest? (And who will sport the biggest hair?) This triple bill is a feast for fans of ’80s hard rock. From “Pour Some Sugar on Me” to “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” ain’t no shame in singing along at the top of your lungs. Aug. 18, 7 p.m. Comcast Center. Tickets: $27.50-$132.50. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com

DIRTY PROJECTORS
The problem with describing this Brooklyn indie-rock band’s latest album is that the adjectives change drastically from one song to the next. “Swing Lo Magellan” is the aural equivalent of holding a kaleidoscope up to the light and turning it slowly. From disjointed rhythms to lush choruses, the only common thread is that it’s all sonically arresting. Aug. 19, 8 p.m. Tickets: $22.50. Paradise Rock Club. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com

Folk, World & Country

SANDRA WONG AND ROSS MARTIN This concert offers the opportunity to see an accomplished practitioner on a musical instrument you might never have heard of. Sandra Wong plays the nyckelharpa, a 16-stringed, 37-keyed Swedish folk instrument. She also plays the fiddle, and along with Ross Martin on guitar, the duo make music that draws on Scandinavian, Irish, and other world folk traditions, classical, bluegrass, jazz, and old-time. Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $14. Loring-Greenough House, Jamaica Plain. 413-658-4585, sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic

KIX BROOKS
You might remember him as the one who wore the hat in Brooks & Dunn, one of the most successful country duos of all time. Like ex-partner Ronnie Dunn, Brooks is now forging ahead with a solo career, and will release a new album in September. Neither of the two had any success on their own before pairing up; will things be different post-B&D? Aug. 17, 8 p.m. Tickets: $20. Showcase Live, Foxborough. 888-354-7042, www.showcaselive.com

JOHN PRINE AND LUCINDA WILLIAMS A pairing of singer-songwriter titans who appear to have swapped places; when it comes to recording new material, John Prine has, for whatever reasons, eased into retirement, while in comparison to the dearth of productivity about which she used to be constantly reminded, Lucinda Williams has become positively prolific. Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $30-$60. Bank of America Pavilion. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com

BECKETT BOWL 10 MAN JAM Each year Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett trades baseballs for bowling balls for his annual charity event, and in conjunction with this year’s bowl, a parade of Texas country and Red Dirt musical luminaries, including Pat Green, Randy Rogers, Kevin Fowler, and Rodney Hayden, will take part in what is billed as an all-star jam session. Aug. 20, 10 p.m. Tickets: $45-$65. House of Blues. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com

Jazz, Blues & Cabaret

WALTER BEASLEY
Boston’s own smooth jazz star is a saxophonist in the soulful mode of Grover Washington Jr. and a fine singer to boot. His funky band grooves with the best. Aug. 17, 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets: $40. Scullers Jazz Club, 400 Soldiers Field Road, Boston. 617-562-4111, www.scullersjazz.com

JULIAN LAGE The guitarist/composer has performed and recorded with a galaxy of greats including Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, and Pat Metheny. He is widely considered one of the finest jazz guitarists to emerge in recent years, and his music is predictable only in its consistent tastefulness and lyricism. Aug. 18, 8 p.m. Tickets: $26-$40. Unitarian-Universalist Church, 28 Mugford St., Marblehead. 781-631-1528, www.marbleheadjazz.org

MARCIA BALL
The Texas-born, Louisiana-raised pianist, vocalist, and songwriter is steeped in New Orleans and Gulf Coast blues and R&B. In a career laden with honors she recently added three more, most outstanding musician (keyboard), blues artist of the year (female), and best blues album of 2011 (for her recording “Roadside Attractions”) in the 19th Annual Living Blues Awards. Aug. 18, 9 p.m. Tickets: $25. The Beachcomber, 1120 Cahoon Hollow Road, Wellfleet. 508-349-6055, www.thebeachcomber.com

MATT SAVAGE
The prodigiously gifted pianist/composer, barely out of his teens, has already released numerous albums, headlined major jazz festivals, and appeared on David Letterman’s show. For this free concert, he’ll perform solo as part of the “Berklee Jazz on Spectacle Island” concert series. Aug. 19, 1 p.m. Free. Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor Islands, Boston. www.berklee.edu/events, www.bostonharborislands.org

Classical

CAPE COD CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL The multi-venue festival, which runs through most of August, presents the David Krakauer Klezmer Trio in Wellfleet on Friday; and festival co-directors Jon Manasse (clarinet) and Jon Nakamatsu (piano) with guests in Chatham on Sunday. 508-247-9400, www.capecodchambermusic.org

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